Novel Contest Announced to Mark 20 Years Since Naguib Mahfouz's Death
The programme includes a one-day conference and a competition offering EGP 150,000 in prizes for Egyptian and Arab novelists.
The Supreme Council of Culture is marking the 20th anniversary of Naguib Mahfouz's death with a one-day conference in Cairo and the launch of a new novel competition for writers from Egypt and across the Arab world.
Held under the patronage of Abdelaziz Konsowa, Minister of Higher Education and acting Minister of Culture, the conference will revisit the Nobel laureate's literary and intellectual legacy, exploring the lasting influence of his work on the Arabic novel and world literature. The event is being organised under the supervision of Ashraf Al Azzazi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Culture, with coordination by the council's Central Administration of Committees.
Alongside the conference, the council has opened applications for the Naguib Mahfouz Novel Competition, offering total prize money of EGP 150,000. The awards include EGP 75,000 for the best Egyptian novel and EGP 75,000 for the best novel from the wider Arab world.
According to the council, the competition commemorates the twentieth anniversary of Mahfouz's passing while encouraging contemporary novel writing across Egypt and the region. It also aims to recognise Mahfouz's role in establishing the Arabic novel as a globally recognised literary form.
The conference, titled 'Naguib Mahfouz... Twenty Years Since the Master's Passing', forms part of a broader cultural programme dedicated to revisiting Mahfouz's body of work and its enduring influence on generations of readers and writers.
